New IWC Big Pilot’s Heritage Replica Watches

IWC Schaffhausen launched its first Big Pilot’s Watch in 1940; for 75 years, that historic timepiece has held the title of largest IWC watch ever made. This year, however, IWC Replica Watches releases one that eclipses it.

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When discussing watches available in two case sizes, one doesn’t usually hear the 48-mm version described by the brand rep as “the smaller of the two,” but that’s exactly what we heard today, so let’s start with that one. The IWC Replica Watches Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48 has a case made of lightweight titanium, so despite its size it weighs in at a reasonable 120 grams. The watch has a dial with several new and subtle design features that make them more period-accurate: the triangle under the 12 o’clock position is is now in its original, lower position under 12 o’clock, the Arabic numeral “9” is back, and the blued propeller-shaped hands are coated with beige Super-LumiNova. One nod to modernity absent in the original model is the small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, which replaces the central seconds hand. However, the new model features a stop-seconds function for easy synchronization, as did the original. The large, cone-shaped crown is also an echo of that on the historical pilot’s IWC Fake Watches, which would often need to be grasped by a military aviator’s heavily gloved fingers.

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Inside the case, protected by a soft iron inner cage, is Cheap IWC Replica in-house Caliber 59215, which is manual-wound and boasts a power reserve of 192 hours, or about eight days. A small aperture in the solid caseback, rather than a full-fledged exhibition back, offers just a glimpse of the movement and its power reserve display.The brown calfskin strap, divided into two and sewn together at the ends and held together by two rivets on the strap bar, recalls those early aviator timepieces that tended to be worn over a thick flying suit.
Matching, but not exceeding, the titanic dimensions of its historic predecessor, the IWC Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55 also boasts a lightweight titanium case and an in-house movement, IWC’s manual-winding Caliber 98,300. Perhaps fittingly for a timepiece that is even more true a direct descendant of the classic vintage version, it is even more exclusive, produced in a limited edition of only 100 pieces worldwide.I had the chance to get up close and personal with both of the Big Pilot Heritage Watches today at Fake Watches presentation. Here is what the two models look like next to each other…

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One For The Road: The IWC Replica in an AMG Roadster

A sunny summer day, a speedy convertible and a cool IWC watch.

The car is the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster. The Replica Watches is also an AMG, of sorts: the Ingenieur Automatic AMG Black Series Ceramic, introduced in 2013 in honor of IWC’s sponsorship of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. It seems fitting that we test the AMG IWC Replica Watches while test driving an AMG car, so here we are at AMG headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany, ready to take car and watch for a spin.First, we’re briefed about the locations of nearby speed traps.

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Then, we’re asked to return the $200,000-plus car unscathed. No problem, we promise.We spend the morning shooting photos of the watch in and around the parked roadster, so we have time to scrutinize all the IWC Fake Watches details.The metallic brown of the dial contrasts beautifully with the matte black ceramic case and the shiny black ceramic bezel, which look every bit as high-tech as the five eye-catching screws with special heads on the front of the Cheap IWC Replica. The warm color of the dial, the beige-orange luminous material on the indices and hands and the leather-inlay strap add a very special touch to this otherwise technical-looking watch – like a brown leather sofa in front of an exposed-concrete wall.

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What better place to test an AMG watch than in an AMG car?

The SLS’s interior was designed in the same mode: the air vents and gear-selector lever are milled from aluminum and are inspired by jet engines and throttle controls. The rest of the interior boasts plenty of plush upholstery.The IWC Replica Watches indices are shaped like miniature racecars, with high tail-end spoilers on their outer ends.Now it’s time for our test drive. The convertible top disappears behind the seats and a roaring eight-cylinder fanfare trumpets from the tailpipes when we press the start button. Wow! We forget all about the Ingenieur’s quiet ticking when we hear that.

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The buckle is made of titanium; the strap of rubber and nicely grained leather.

Even the 1,000-watt surround-sound system from Bang & Olufsen becomes a trifling matter, but we switch it on anyway.The SLS AMG is easy to drive: we simply shift the selector lever to “D” and enjoy a smooth and rather comfortably suspended ride both on straight stretches and around curves. The Ingenieur is equally user-friendly: the IWC Fake Watches crown is easy to grasp, unscrew and pull out, despite the crown protectors. A stop-seconds hand and a rapid-reset mechanism for the date simplify exact setting.

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Even though the watch is very big – 46 mm – it’s comfortable to wear.

At long last, we reach the autobahn, leaving speed limits behind. We press the pedal to the metal and the Cheap IWC Replica engine emits a sound like a jet taking off. The photographer, sitting in the passenger’s seat, clings anxiously to his camera. From zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds makes you feel as if you’ve just kicked a giant. The speedometer soon reaches 100 mph. Even at this speed, the wind blowing through our hair is more or less endurable. The photographer is no doubt relieved to discover there is too much traffic on the autobahn for us to safely accelerate to the car’s incredible top speed of 200 mph.

IWC Big Pilot’s Heritage Replica Watch 55

IWC Big Pilot’s Heritage Replica Watch 55 would make an excellent desk clock

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The standard IWC Big Pilot’s watch is both an automatic and has a power reserve of about a week. Instead, IWC Replica Watches preferred to go an alternative route and get a bit more vintage chic with the mechanism inside of this reference 5104 timepiece.For the movement, IWC chose their in-house-made caliber 98300 which operates at 2.5Hz (18,000bph) and has a power reserve of just 46 hours, being manually wound. The idea here is likely that IWC wanted to convey the most pure sense of “old-time winding” since on most accounts the caliber 98300 (despite its contemporary construction) is based on rather old horological architecture. What it lacks in things like performance, complexity, and convenience, it makes up for in feeling like you are winding up an old timepiece.

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IWC once again got it right when it comes to a pilot-style watch dial in terms of finishing and colors. The blued hands are a nice touch and off-white luminant along with refined dial design make for a very classy look.The IWC Big Pilot’s Heritage Replica Watch 55 is a thick brown calfskin strap that is designed like a cross between a pilot and NATO strap.